Some U.S. senators, like Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, have to weigh their home state laws preventing them from running for both president and re-election to the Senate in 2016. If that year it comes to U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte getting tapped as the Republican vice presidential nominee next year, only politics will stop her.Ayotte as a potential vice presidential candidate continues to be the talk of Washington and Republican donor circles. In fact, a recent gathering of major Republican donors in New York drew four big name potential presidential candidates. Ayotte was also there as the only person the crowd heard from who could be the vice presidential pick.The New Hampshire Secretary of State's office said this week there is legally nothing blocking Ayotte from running for Senate and vice president on the same ballot next fall. In fact, the idea of someone running for two different positions on the same ballot is hardly new. The late North Country icon Ray Burton spent decades running and winning seats on the state’s Executive Council and the Grafton County Commission.So logistically Ayotte might be fine, but maybe not politically. Consider the case of Joe Biden. In 2008, Biden was on the fall ballot running for re-election to his Senate seat and as the vice presidential nominee to Barack Obama. Logistically it is the same situation Ayotte would face. Politically it is another world.That year Biden beat his opponent by 30 percentage points. Ayotte is likely to be seeking re-election in one of the most competitive campaigns in the entire country.Just consider the very real choices she would have to make were she to continue running for re-election and run as the vice presidential candidate:Would Ayotte participate at a New Hampshire Senate debate? Would she spend more time raising money for her campaign or for the national campaign? What happens if the Republican presidential nominee has a position on an issue that is unpopular in the Granite State? If she says no to any of the questions above could it make the difference in her not getting re-elected and what would that say?Threading the political needle could make it impossible for Ayotte to be picked as the 2016 running mate. Republicans are considering holding their national convention in June 2016. The convention could either be during or immediately after the New Hampshire candidate filing period. Ayotte could sign up to run and if she doesn't face a primary, she could drop her bid for re-election and Republicans could name someone else to run. If she faces even a token primary for someone random this scenario wouldn’t work.But for the sake of argument let’s suppose it did work and Ayotte removed her name from the ballot. (And there is a serious question as to whether she would legally be able to do that.) If Republicans found a new candidate, -- let's call that person Scott Brown --- he would have to immediately raise funds from scratch for a five-month sprint to the November election. This scenario would be wild for political observers, but it would also put Republicans at a major disadvantage.This disadvantage is so great that could be make the whole Ayotte for VP thing a nonstarter idea for incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Republicans will only have a 54-seat majority in the next session. There isn’t a large margin for error for Republicans to keep the Senate in 2016. McConnell probably believes that Ayotte is the best candidate to win in New Hampshire and doesn't want anything to jeopardize that.Being tapped for vice president is something that would not happen for another year and isn't in Ayotte's control. What she can control, however, is increasing her profile and finding a good Republican candidate for governor.After all, she if wins the jackpot and wins both re-election and becomes vice president, she'll want a Republican governor to pick her replacement in the Senate.

CONCORD, N.H. —

Some U.S. senators, like Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, have to weigh their home state laws preventing them from running for both president and re-election to the Senate in 2016. If that year it comes to U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte getting tapped as the Republican vice presidential nominee next year, only politics will stop her.

Ayotte as a potential vice presidential candidate continues to be the talk of Washington and Republican donor circles. In fact, a recent gathering of major Republican donors in New York drew four big name potential presidential candidates. Ayotte was also there as the only person the crowd heard from who could be the vice presidential pick.

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The New Hampshire Secretary of State's office said this week there is legally nothing blocking Ayotte from running for Senate and vice president on the same ballot next fall. In fact, the idea of someone running for two different positions on the same ballot is hardly new. The late North Country icon Ray Burton spent decades running and winning seats on the state’s Executive Council and the Grafton County Commission.

So logistically Ayotte might be fine, but maybe not politically. Consider the case of Joe Biden. In 2008, Biden was on the fall ballot running for re-election to his Senate seat and as the vice presidential nominee to Barack Obama. Logistically it is the same situation Ayotte would face. Politically it is another world.

That year Biden beat his opponent by 30 percentage points. Ayotte is likely to be seeking re-election in one of the most competitive campaigns in the entire country.Just consider the very real choices she would have to make were she to continue running for re-election and run as the vice presidential candidate:

Would Ayotte participate at a New Hampshire Senate debate? Would she spend more time raising money for her campaign or for the national campaign? What happens if the Republican presidential nominee has a position on an issue that is unpopular in the Granite State? If she says no to any of the questions above could it make the difference in her not getting re-elected and what would that say?

Threading the political needle could make it impossible for Ayotte to be picked as the 2016 running mate. Republicans are considering holding their national convention in June 2016. The convention could either be during or immediately after the New Hampshire candidate filing period. Ayotte could sign up to run and if she doesn't face a primary, she could drop her bid for re-election and Republicans could name someone else to run. If she faces even a token primary for someone random this scenario wouldn’t work.

But for the sake of argument let’s suppose it did work and Ayotte removed her name from the ballot. (And there is a serious question as to whether she would legally be able to do that.) If Republicans found a new candidate, -- let's call that person Scott Brown --- he would have to immediately raise funds from scratch for a five-month sprint to the November election. This scenario would be wild for political observers, but it would also put Republicans at a major disadvantage.

This disadvantage is so great that could be make the whole Ayotte for VP thing a nonstarter idea for incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Republicans will only have a 54-seat majority in the next session. There isn’t a large margin for error for Republicans to keep the Senate in 2016. McConnell probably believes that Ayotte is the best candidate to win in New Hampshire and doesn't want anything to jeopardize that.Being tapped for vice president is something that would not happen for another year and isn't in Ayotte's control. What she can control, however, is increasing her profile and finding a good Republican candidate for governor.

After all, she if wins the jackpot and wins both re-election and becomes vice president, she'll want a Republican governor to pick her replacement in the Senate.